Department for International Development

Middle East: Refugees

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their analysis of the plight of the displaced people at Rakban, on the frontiers of Syria, Iraq and Jordan; what is their best estimate of the population there; and whether they intend to convene a meeting of all concerned parties to make possible access for urgent supplies and to assess longer-term needs.

lord bates: The UK remains deeply concerned about the extremely difficult situation facing the population of approximately 50,000 at Rukban.The UK government regularly engages with UN agencies, other members of the international community and with the Government of Jordan on the situation at Rukban.We welcome news that an agreement in principle has been reached with the Government of Jordan to provide further essential aid to the people at Rukban. However, we will continue to press for a better understanding of the specific needs of the population at Rukban and for full humanitarian access that will enable regular aid deliveries to take place in line with International Humanitarian Law.

Syria: International Assistance

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the WHO and UNICEF have access to eastern Ghouta in Syria; and whether they will call for the prompt evacuation of urgent medical cases.

lord bates: Humanitarian access to Eastern Ghouta remains severely constrained by the Assad regime. Where access allows, our partners including WHO and UNICEF are providing life-saving healthcare and protection. The UK continues to to demand full and sustained humanitarian access in order to allow medical evacuations to take place.

Iraq: Reconstruction

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made with the reconstruction of Yazidi and Christian villages, especially on the Plains of Nineveh, and in facilitating the safe return of these communities; and the practical steps they have taken to enable those minorities return to their homes

lord bates: The UK supports UNDP’s Funding Facility For Stabilisation (FFS), which is providing funding to support immediate repairs to housing, schools and utilities in the Nineveh Plains as well as other liberated areas. This has helped to create the conditions for the return of almost 2 million Iraqis - including Christian, Yazidi and other minorities - to their homes. The FFS has currently 1,000 projects underway that support the Government of Iraq's efforts to stabilize 23 newly liberated areas including predominantly Christian, Yazidi or other minority areas. The long-term reconstruction of the Nineveh Plains and other liberated areas is the responsibility of the Government of Iraq who will set out their plans at a conference in Kuwait in February.

Ministry of Justice

Prisons: Unmanned Air Vehicles

baroness kennedy of cradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many drone drops outside prisons have been intercepted by the authorities in the last two years.

lord keen of elie: Last year we launched Operation Trenton, a specialist team of Police and Prison Service investigators, to work together to intercept drones and track down the criminals behind them. Publishing all data on drone activity could undermine safety and security within our prisons, and compromise ongoing investigations into drone incidents. The specialist squad has, however, recovered or seized more than 150 drones from 2015 up until 1 September 2017 across the prison estate in England and Wales. We have also achieved 28 convictions and combined sentences of more than 82 years for those involved in drone use against prisons. That includes 11 gang members convicted only last month to a total of 32 years between them for using drones to smuggle drugs, phones and weapons into prisons.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Commonwealth: Brexit

baroness northover: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking in talks with the EU to address any negative consequences of Brexit for developing Commonwealth countries.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The PM has made clear that the UK has a longstanding and firm commitment to the Commonwealth and to the values it upholds, of democracy, human rights and the rule of law. The UK remains committed to its 0.7% GNI ODA target for development spending. At present, some of this development assistance is spent through the EU and some bilaterally. Leaving the EU means that we will take our own decisions about how to spend development assistance. The UK wants to continue working with the EU and its Member States to effectively tackle development challenges in countries around the world and we remain clear about the importance of continued UK support to commonwealth countries. The UK has also committed to extending the non-reciprocal duty free access granted to LDCs under the EU’s current Everything But Arms initiative, to ensure the world’s poorest keep their existing duty-free access to UK markets and providing new opportunities to increase trade links.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Brexit

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they will take to safeguard the rights of Irish citizens in the UK both before and after Brexit; and whether they will discuss with the government of the Republic of Ireland the rights of British residents in the Republic.

lord callanan: The UK Government has been clear that it wants to maintain the Common Travel Area (CTA) and protect associated rights enjoyed by British and Irish citizens. The right to work, study, and access social security and public services will be preserved on a reciprocal basis for UK and Irish nationals. The UK Government, Irish Government, and European Union all agree that the UK and Ireland can maintain these arrangements and this has been reflected in the Joint Report between the UK and the EU. I have written to Lord Alton of Liverpool setting out the detail of these arrangements and this letter has been placed in the library of the house.

EU Institutions

lord lester of herne hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government with which EU agencies they intend to remain involved afterBrexit; and in each case, on what terms.

lord callanan: We are seeking a deep and special partnership with the European Union. No final decisions have yet been made on our future relationship with the EU's agencies and bodies after leaving the EU. Where there is a demonstrable national interest in pursuing a continued relationship with an agency or other EU body the Government will carefully examine whether we should pursue this. Our future relationship with the EU's agencies will ultimately be a matter for negotiations in the next phase.

Overseas Trade: Republic of Ireland

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they propose to safeguard trade between (1) Fishguard, (2) Pembroke, and (3) Holyhead, and Ireland following Brexit.

lord callanan: In assessing our options for a new customs arrangement with the EU, the Government will be guided by what delivers the greatest economic advantage to the UK, and by three strategic objectives: Ensuring UK-EU trade is as frictionless as possible;Avoiding a ‘hard border’ between Ireland and Northern Ireland; andEstablishing an independent international trade policy. The Government’s Future Partnership Paper on customs, published in August 2017, set out two approaches to our future customs relationship with the EU that most closely meet these objectives.

Brexit

baroness suttie: To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the context of the negotiations on leaving the EU, on what date they expect the negotiations dealing with issues relating to the UK's future relations with the EU on matters relating to (1)the Common Foreign and Security Policy, and (2) the Common Security and Defence Policy, to begin.

lord callanan: On 15 December the European Council formally confirmed that sufficient progress had been made to move onto the second phase of negotiations. The Council has also confirmed that discussions will now begin on trade and our future security partnership, including foreign and defence policy cooperation. As the Prime Minister has stated, the UK is unconditionally committed to maintaining Europe’s security. The UK seeks to develop a deep and special security partnership with the EU that goes beyond any existing third country arrangements, and which builds on the breadth and depth of our shared interests and values.